Ritmo Percussion ~ Matthew Smith

[SongoSon]

Vaya Mis Panas!

Thanks for the great comments and well wishes, I can't wait till they arrive! Tremendo rumbon que se va ser!

As far as the wood, they're African Mahogony (when the cost was still a bit affordable)!

Chacho! I really want to hear the spirit in those drums cuando les doy por encima!

Suave!

Onile!

Onile ...congrats, Those are some of the most beautiful congas my eyes have ever seen !
Is that wood the figured african mahogany or regular african mahogany ?

[onile]

Alafia Brother SongoSon

Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to tell you the answer to that due to my not knowing!
I've not heard Matthew mention anything like "figured African Mahogany" so maybe it's regular African Mahogany.

not sure my brother!

Suave!

Onile!

[ABAKUA]

Vaya Tony, hermano those tambores are killers. Ive had a set back with mine (on my side of things), but I cant wait till mine are done! Yours look far darker though than the regular african mahogany, have they been stained for darker finish?
I bet you havin trouble sleeping at night waiting for them babies to turn up!
Felizitaciones mi pana, la bendicion.

[onile]

Alafia Manito Abakua!
Espero que todo este bien contigo Papa!

Yeah! Sleep is not an option, I keep waiting, but I know it's going to be a couple of weeks more!

As for the stain, I was talking with Matthew this afternoon and he was impressed with the natural grain of the wood but he didn't mention anything about applying a darker stain to them.
It's been a long two years waiting, but I'm sure that it's well worth it Papa!

La bendicion mi hermano!

Onile!

[Congadelica]

Beuties , You are well blessed there Onile . veyr nice .

marco

[Omelenko1]

Onile,

I know you have a great collection, but when you get them Matthew's they will become your first string and everything else will play bench. That happened to Jaisen Torres, to me and will also happen to Abakua when he gets his down under.

Felicidades,

Dario

[KING CONGA]

Onile,

I know you have a great collection, but when you get them Matthew's they will become your first string and everything else will play bench. That happened to Jaisen Torres, to me and will also happen to Abakua when he gets his down under.

Felicidades,

Dario

Omeleko I thought you said that the SOS were your favorite, what happened?

[Omelenko1]

In reality Junior Tirados are my favorites and that has to do with the fact that Junior was my personal friend, I frequented his apartment and workshop on Havemeyer St. in Brooklyn on many occasions. Skin on Skin congas are the closest in style to the legendary Cuban Vergaras and are incredible congas, very traditional in Cuban style. Matthew's congas are the most beautiful of all, he uses very exotic woods and a wide range of them, the likes of curly maple, bubinga, walnut, african mahogany..... Matthew's hardware is the best made ever and his congas sound awesome,just like Junior's and Jay's. I don't think Onile has SOS or Juniors, eventhough he's got a great collection. I play my Juniors the most because of what the man represented to me, but SOS and Ritmos are in the same major league.

Dario

[RitmoBoricua]

Sr. Dario with that kind of fire power at your hands I be like you too.
One second SOS be the best ones, next second Ritmos , next
second Juniors and next split second Timbas Ismael. Don't you
wish you were "un pulpo" with eight arms sometimes.

[Omelenko1]

Vaya Ritmo,

Like you say I wish I was "un pulpo" and I also wish there were more gigs and love for culture here in Miami. There is a lot of talent here, Daniel Ponce lives here, our own JC lived here for many years and was force to leave because there is no appreciation for music here. Miami, being a strong hold for Latinos, Cubans in the majority, is sad that there are no venues for live salsa or Latin jazz. I only play private gigs like weddings or corporate gigs and that's maybe 10 a year if I'm lucky. Thank God I don't need music to make a living, I'm a CPA by profession.

Speaking of quality congas is like you say, one minute Matthew, the next SOS, then Junior or Ismael. They are all great congas, SOS the most Cuban, Matthew the best made when it comes to details (beauty of wood,hardware) Ismaels full of Puerto Rican heritage and herencia and Junior Tirado, the pioneer artisan in New York. I love them all. Junior holds a dear place because of our friendship and his congas are so so so so melodic.

Cuidate compay!

Dario

[RitmoBoricua]

Vaya Ritmo,

Like you say I wish I was "un pulpo" and I also wish there were more gigs and love for culture here in Miami. There is a lot of talent here, Daniel Ponce lives here, our own JC lived here for many years and was force to leave because there is no appreciation for music here. Miami, being a strong hold for Latinos, Cubans in the majority, is sad that there are no venues for live salsa or Latin jazz. I only play private gigs like weddings or corporate gigs and that's maybe 10 a year if I'm lucky. Thank God I don't need music to make a living, I'm a CPA by profession.

Speaking of quality congas is like you say, one minute Matthew, the next SOS, then Junior or Ismael. They are all great congas, SOS the most Cuban, Matthew the best made when it comes to details (beauty of wood,hardware) Ismaels full of Puerto Rican heritage and herencia and Junior Tirado, the pioneer artisan in New York. I love them all. Junior holds a dear place because of our friendship and his congas are so so so so melodic.

Cuidate compay!

Dario

You are the culture down there, you know your drums.
I scratch my head when I think that it was NYC where
afro-cuban and afro-caribbean music and rhythms erupted
big time and not Miami here in "La Yuma". Drum Well And
Often My Man!

[Light Seeker]

Vaya Ritmo,Miami, being a strong hold for Latinos, Cubans in the majority, is sad that there are no venues for live salsa or Latin jazz.

What about Hoy Como Ayer? I was under the impression they have good live Latin music, no? Also, these two aren't venues but rather annual festivals, but what about Calle Ocho or Carnaval on the Mile? I've never been to any of the above since I don't live in Miami, I'm just curious.

[Omelenko1]

"Hoy Como Ayer" being about the only one, a small room on Calle Ocho that holds about 40 people. Now a days is mostly singers that are featured. Another comes to mind, Lario's Restaurant, they feature a son montuno group on Fridays and Saturday night while you're having dinner. Calle Ocho Carnival has been taken over by rappers and raggeton. Jazz On The Mile is about the only event that features some Latin jazz, like Calle Ocho is once a year.

Dario

[onile]

Oye mi Pana Dario!
Espero que todo este bien contigo!

Chacho! You were absolutely right mi Pana! I couldn't wait until the boxes arrived last Tuesday, fortunately the FedEx man came early in the day. I was worried because all the sizes I had ordered were 12.75 and larger (largest being 13.75), and the concern that I had was that they were going to be impractically heavy (like the LP Palladiums). When I noticed the FedEx guy picking them up and gently putting them down off of the truck, I was surprised when I picked one up to bring inside. They were much lighter than what I had expected between 34lbs smallest, to 38lbs. largest. I couldn't wait to get them out of the boxes, however they were packed so well that it took me a while to do so.

Once I did get them all out of their boxes, I put them in my living room and just stood there admiring the beautiful craftsmanship. The grain of the wood, the shine of the chrome and the color of the hides/cueros that complimented the drums. After a while of looking at them I sat down to play them, Wow! The sound was so melodic and beautiful it hardly required any effort on my part to produce it. I kept playing them for the next 6 hrs. till I had to get ready for my Latin Jazz gig. Oh yeah, I took them with me.....all 4 of them.

I had mics on all of them, as I usually do with my instruments, and after each song we played, I found that I was having to turn the volume down on my mixer. These drums posses a characteristic I thought only fiberglass congas had, VOLUME! They are loud to the touch, but not to be confused with noisy, they produced a symphonic sound (according to the key the are tuned to).

As you had said to me before Dario, I wouldn't want to play anything else, and now I don't. I have put my Islas away, along with my Gon Bops, and my Fats. These drums are truly a product produced by a proliphic artisan whose talent and skill is beyond explanation by this humble percussionist. I thanked Matthew over and over again for such beautiful sounding and looking drums.

I believe Abure Taikonoatama is next to receive his set soon and I know that he too will be as excited about his set as I am!

Many blessings Abures!

Onile!

[taikonoatama]

Can't wait! When guys with the kinds of congas that Jaisen, Dario, and Tony have rave like this about a drum, that's saying something!

Spoke with Matt most recently last Friday - such a great guy who really cares deeply about his craft - and my set is next in the queue for this production cycle - should ship sometime in November. Matt personally selects all the wood from his supplier and he says the mahogany he found for this production cycle (see pic of onile's) is some of the most beautiful he's ever used, and even he seemed a little blown away (in a very humble way) by what he created with the sound and beauty of onile's drums.

I'm getting 11", 12", and 13" in African mahogany.

There aren't many of Matt's drums out here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Barrie has a 1996-era oak tumba and requinto, Tony-from-Napa had that mahogany requinto that was sold to someone out of state, I believe, and I think Brian (congalero) in SF has a single drum as well (though he might actually have a set of two, not sure), with some very special ones on order.

Anyway, it's been a long wait and I'm thrilled they are so close now. Dig the new hardware design.

James